Wehi

One year after...

2009-04-05T08:44:00.002+12:00

I finally found a way to upload my pictures much faster, without the blog interface where I can only upload pictures one by one. I use the Google Picasa app now. I wish I knew it before, it would have saved me many hours of uploading in internet cafes.

Here's my photos of South Island and the stopover in Chicago on my way back. I will write comments soon.

Because I can only upload up to 500 photos per album and the first one is almost full, here's my last 100 photos.

Finally, here's the fan video I made for Chris at Back To Nature Tours in Dunedin, on the South Island. He said he would put it up on the company's website but he hasn't updated it yet.

Back To Nature NZ from Philippe Demers on Vimeo.

(To see it in full screen: http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1619192)

NZ 2008-03-09

2009-02-15T15:04:00.000+13:00

Because I wanted to get a few shots of the kitchen at Downtown Backpackers, I missed the Kiwi Experience bus going to the harbour so I had to take a taxi.

The kitchen at Downtown was one of the best in all the backpackers I've visited. Everything was clean (thank you Cambodian housekeeping) and the fridge was one full room. A premium cashew butter was stolen from my bag one time but that's all that's been stolen from me. Even though there are no cameras people are honest, and most wash their dishes.

The ferry going to South Island...

NZ 2008-03-05

2009-02-15T14:56:00.000+13:00

NZ 2008-03-02

2009-02-15T14:53:00.000+13:00

NZ 2008-02-27

2009-02-15T14:50:00.000+13:00

Here's my friend Gean whom I've met later in Queenstown. He was working as a chef in an hotel in Queeny (Kings Gate I think). Because I told him I could not find coconut milk anywhere - I wanted to cook coconut rice after tasting that in the kitchen at Novotel - I followed him to a cool asian market in Newtown (I think), inside Wellington. I bought Ala's Delicious Premium Coconut Cream Pee Pee.

NZ 2008-02-25

2009-02-15T14:44:00.000+13:00

Well this is where I lived for around two months, at Downtown Backpackers in Wellington. It's not as bad as it looks!

NZ 2008-02-24

2009-02-15T14:41:00.000+13:00

NZ 2008-02-18

2009-02-15T14:38:00.001+13:00

March of the Swimmers

2008-03-18T19:51:00.030+13:00

(...SOON...)

Wellington Part 2

2008-03-06T20:19:00.002+13:00

JANUARY 7th to 24th, 2008 - WELLINGTON

Wellington can be a very windy city, but for the time I've been here it has been very good except for 2-3 days. People call the city "Windy Welly" - the city is just over the Cook Strait (strait between North Island and South Island) were there's a lot of activity on those latitudes.

It is not uncommon to see umbrellas in rubbish bins. They are not very useful when there's wind and rain at the same time. But I like the fact that most sidewalks in the CBD (Central Business District) are covered.

That week all the New Zealand flags were lowered because Sir Edmund Hillary died on January 11th. He was, along with his sherpa, the first man to climb Mt. Everest, in 1953. He was already on the 5$ bank notes!

This is a view from Courtenay Place, the center of restaurants and cafés in Wellington. On Wikipedia it says that "Wellington's cafe culture is extremely strong. The city has more cafes per head of population than New York."

This is a weird house I saw on the hills of Mount Victoria.

Downtown Backpackers, where I lived in Wellington for most of the time (I also stayed at Rowena's Backpackers and Nomads). The reasons I stayed here were that there was a big kitchen with a big fridge (contrarily to other backpackers), it was next to New World supermarket in the Wellington Bus & Train Station, there was an ensuite bathroom and it was only a 10 minutes walk to work. This and the fact that there was free Internet sometimes in the corridors made me stay here. 21$ per night in a six-bed dorm (3$ discount with BBH card). I highly recommend getting the BBH backpackers card because so far most good hostels in New Zealand were BBH members so the card gives good discounts.

This is a sculpture on Civic Square. I think it became an icon for the city because it's also on my library card.

There was a volleyball match on Oriental Parade, the central city's beach. It was really windy so the players had to wear closed sunglasses so they don't get sand in their eyes while playing.

I started my job as a porter at Novotel mid-january and I worked there for two months (that was the contract). I worked in the Front Office department and my main duties were to take the bags to and from the rooms from the bus tour guests, and also valet parking. I enjoyed the fact that there were free meals and access to gym/pool SportsWide across the street. I did not like the fact that there was only an unpaid 30 minutes break (only a few times, most of the time it was 10 minutes after 5 hours of work) and that I would get directions from 3-4 people at the same time, saying different things.

This is what I got with my library card the first week. I didn't watch the DVD's because at that time the sound on my laptop stopped working, for at least one month and I spent many hours trying to fix the problem and talking to HP reps in India. I was really happy when I installed the "Windows Vista upgrade" because the sound worked again magically!

Massey University Campus:

This is a weird "downunder" tree on Mount-Victoria.

Te Papa Museum - "Our Place", the Museum of New Zealand and also the main attraction on rainy days and for people who only stay in Wellington one day. They were celebrating the 10th anniversary this February. I have taken photos from the celebrations and they will be in the next post!

The Writers Walkway or as I call it, the Ducks Walkway are some concrete plaques on the harbour showing quotes from great New Zealand writers. I don't know who is the "Maori Jesus"?

This is a pub in the CBD, on Willis Street with the reflections from the nearby buildings in late afternoon.

My 8-bed dorm at Nomads Backpackers with 3 other messy English girls. I didn't stay there long and Downtown Backpackers was much better anyway.

Hell Pizza! Good pizza and they give you the "remains" in a coffin-box.

Wellywood

2008-02-27T23:18:00.002+13:00

I have not updated the blog since a few weeks because:
1) I was lazy
2) Now that the "Global Gossip trick" (pull the power off the Global Gossip computers instead of logging off didn't charge the card) and the unlocked WiFi network on the upper floors of Downtown Backpackers don't work, I have to pay for internet by either:

a) transfer, if using my laptop at CafeNet Wireless Internet connections in Wellington (20$ for 70mb)
b) time, if I go to an Internet café (around 5$/hour)

I should have updated the blog in my first few weeks in Wellington while I had free Internet but I was busy with my job at Novotel and other events happening in the city that I couldn't miss!

I am writing this right now on my laptop with WordPad, and I'll just copy the text file to Blogger when it's finished so I don't have to be connected the whole time.

I don't know if I will be able to put photos.... oh wait a minute the Internet is working again! Yes I am sitting in the hallways of the fifth floor of Downtown Backpackers (my hostel) because some long-termer probably didn't lock the network, so I can access it here from time to time.

FROM DECEMBER 28th '07 to MARCH '08 - WELLINGTON (PART 1)

Wellington is a very nice city. It is on the southern part of North Island and it's here that we take the ferry to go to South Island (with either InterIslander or Bluebridge). It can be a very windy city sometimes, but for the time I've been here, the wind didn't annoy me. I think it's a record summer for the weather (warm and not windy), and it's only been raining for a few days.

Just the day after I arrived I went to see the Parliament from the outside. This is a statue of Mr. Somebody pointing at the kiwi flag.

The harbour is very active and there's always a big cruise ship, a sail boat, an helicopter, pedalos or dragon boats.

This is Civic Square in the center of the city. This is where I spent the first minutes of 2008. You can sit anywhere here and with the fountains it's really cool. There's always a protest or a concert. The library where I got a library card from is just in the back of where I took this photo. I got the library card using a fake document saying that I was living at Novotel and that I would stay there at least a year. I took magazines, CD's, DVDs, travel books, italian food cookbooks!

This is the concert just before midnight on December 31st. Not very much happening that night, I think all the people were on Courtenay Place in the bars! I went myself in an Irish Pub with people I had met in Auckland and Taupo.

Back at Rowena's (the backpackers I was in for the first week) I saw too many beer bottles to count! Kiwis drink a lot of beer.

The next photos are from Oriental Parade and Oriental Bay, the most scenic place in Wellington. I was there at sunset which makes very nice photos.

I had applied for a job at Novotel Capital Wellington when I was still travelling in Taupo and the interview was already scheduled before coming to Wellington. But I knew that to park cars (valet parking only at Novotel) I would have to learn how to drive manual! I took a lesson with ABLE Driving School but I was very bad at driving the car at first. I also had to think about driving on the wrong (left) side of the road! The instruction was funny and annoying, always saying "Okie dookie?"

The next day I went to Hertz to rent a manual car for 24 hours for practice. I chose Hertz because I wanted a company where you could rent a car and pay some more dollars for the rental to get Accident Excess Reduction which reduces the Accident Damages Excess to zero. In other words, without this option I would have to pay the "amount the renter contributes towards the loss or damage", which was 2800$ NZD, if I had an accident. Since it was the first time I drove manual, I didn't take chances.

I knew I would stall so I drove many hours during the night when there was nobody. On a very steep hill, I couldn't get the car to go forward after stopping it so after half an hour of trying I just went on reverse on the street.

I drove around the bays the next day and I saw the boat that was used in the King Kong remake in 2005.

There was a penguins crossing close to the ocean but I didn't see any. Hopefully I will see the penguins in their natural habitat (not a zoo) on South Island.

This is just the board on the car as I was most of the day. The lights turned on when I stalled the car.

Scorching Bay, beautiful place just 10 minutes away from the city.

This is Wellywood Backpackers in CBD (Central Business District) !

This is Te Papa Museum (Te Papa means "Our place" in Maori), the museum of New Zealand. I didn't visit it in my first few days because I knew I would stay in Wellington some time so I wanted to keep things to see later.

I went to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary with a girl from Holland I had met in Taupo.

We did not see any special wildlife apart from the Tuatara! I was face-to-face with a dinosaur because the Tuatara has a "lineage stretching back more than 225 million years". They live freely on New Zealand's coastal off-shore islands but they are endangered. There was a few of them in the Sanctuary.

This is the famous Wellington Cable Car. I've heard it was made in New Zealand but then it failed and they just bought a new one from Switzerland.

This is the train/bus station just a few meters from Downtown Backpackers (where I stayed most of the time). I did my groceries at the New World supermarket inside.

I took the following photo from my room! I think it's made by the city to warn pedestrians about crossing the street when it's a red light.

Earplugs are very useful when backpacking! I use the silicon ones because they block more noise and they fit better.

I took this picture of the Xanabar because I liked the box...

OK good night.

After the horses... the pigs.

2008-02-05T17:59:00.000+13:00

(See this post to know what the following is about)

date: 31 janv. 2008 15:09
objet: Rotorua-Family Group Converence

Dear Phillipe

My name is Lyn Bailey and I am the Youth Justice Coordinator in Rotorua (...)

As the victim of a crime, you would have the right to attend any Family Group Conference (FGC) for the young person and entitled to information as to the outcome of the FGC. (...)

Firstly both YP were at court where the Judge requested an FGC be held. The purpose of the FGC is for the family to bring ideas/plans as to how these YP can - take accountability; be held responsible and ensure the victim feels'justic has been achieved. (...)

At court the Judge made the statement of very serious and this is taken into consideration with the families views.

The 2 boys have now had thier FGC and i thought you would like to know the outcome.

Boston - he was held resposible and has spent 3 mths in Youth Placement (youth prison) he has a 3 mth supervison attached to this where he will be spending 3 mths on a course in the bush, learning skills with an element of Edcation and Offending. Boston has a lot of family support albeit from Aunty's as opposed to parents and I believe the family are good, in helping this young man to change his thinking.

Anthony - has little support from his family with no identified extended family. Anthony has had time to reflect on what he did and has written a letter of apoloy to you, which I would like to forward to you. (...) Anthony was given 100 hours of community work, which he will have to carry out and also he has been instructed to attend a Drugs & Alcohol counselling service. He has also be instructed to attend an education programme for 1 hour a week. (...)

Please accept my sincere apologies and if you have an opportunity to return to NZ please do not hesitate to contact me and I am sure I would be able to show you the better side of Rotorua.

I look forward to hearing form you

Yours sincerley

Lyn Bailey
Youth Justice Coordinator
Rotorua

River Valley

2008-01-30T18:24:00.000+13:00

DECEMBER 27 - TAUPO TO RIVER VALLEY

I left Taupo today mostly because I didn't find a job there. I liked that little town. Kiwi Experience picked me up at Rainbow Lodge (the driver thought I was moving since I had so much luggage) and our next destination was River Valley, between Taupo and Wellington (the capital). We went close to the Tongariro National Park and we did a mini-trek there - yes that's Mt. Ngaruhoe in the back.

The driver jumped this waterfall then a few others followed. I did jump a waterfall like this in Fiji but it wasn't that high. I don't remember if I've said it but one guy told me he touched the bottom of the lake with his feet when he jumped at the same waterfall in Fiji! So, I would not have jumped twice.

That's us arriving at River Valley. It's a great place but I don't think it's possible to stay there for more than one night without getting bored, especially if the water is bad. The lodge was opened because of the river, and the biggest activity there is rafting.

While the others were either rafting or eating an expensive meal, I just ate a Nutribar and went alone to walk in the valley. Not many people walk there and there's only one small road in the valley.

I wanted to go up the hills for the sunset. Again my sandals got into the mud, and since then, they still smell the mud (and ocean water).

There was an electric fence many kilometers long to make sure the "wild" animals don't escape. I think it was private property!

The name Philippe means "the one who loves horses". I don't know it that's true but those three horses gave me strange looks for a couple of minutes before they decided to meet me. I was a bit afraid of them - maybe they hadn't eaten for a couple of weeks?

Those deers (or maybe they have a different name in New Zealand) looked at me everytime I made a move. They ran away when I pointed my camera at them. They are very intelligent and that made me think that maybe photography is not so far from hunting.

I hope you like the photos!

Wehi?

2008-01-24T23:40:00.000+13:00

From The Māori Dictionary:

wehi
1. (verb) (-ngia) to be awesome, afraid, fear.
2. (noun) dread, fear, something awesome, a response of awe in reaction to ihi.
ka mau te wehi!

(interjection) how terrible! how terrific! fantastic! awesome! how frightening - often used to praise something or someone's work. Sometimes also used to express the opposite or to express awe, amazement or fear.

Photoshop junkie

2008-01-24T23:09:00.000+13:00

DECEMBER 22 - TAUPO

The Superloo is an elaborate restroom in Taupo. It costs 50 cents per visit and I can say that they are really clean toilets! It costs just a bit more to use the showers.

This old car was really close to the port. It was right in the middle of the park. I don't think it will take a long time to be sold...

Again, a black swan in the port was a target for my camera. This picture could be a CD cover, no?

I went to the port to have more information about the Barbary cruise, which was highly recommended in my guide.

Barbary was built in 1926 in California and was owned by the Hollywood actor Errol Flynn before it was wrecked during a storm in Auckland in the seventies. It was rebuilt in 1983 and now "sailing for your pleasure on Lake Taupo"

We went to see the Maori carvings, around 30 minutes from the city. Contrarily to what most people think, the carvings were not made hundreds of years ago.

At the Taupo McDonald's there's a funny attraction for kids - a full-size plane! Hugo told me that it was not a fake one, it did fly a couple of decades ago.

DECEMBER 23 - TAUPO

Hugo decided at the last minute that he wanted to do a skydive. The dives in Taupo are the cheapest in New Zealand. He really did look fearless before doing the jump, but after doing it I think the jump really scared him! Especially at the moment he decided to jump from the plane, he said.

DECEMBER 24 - TAUPO

It's Christmas Eve! Like all backpackers I met, we all agree to say that it's not really the holidays here. It's 30 degrees outside!

I went to see the Segway rental company in Taupo. The trainer asked me if I wanted to do a ride but then I told him I used to be a Segway trainer too in Montreal!

DECEMBER 25 - TAUPO

We had a big BBQ on Christmas at Rainbow Lodge (by the way, the best hostel in Taupo). They put up a big tent and even people from outside came to this hostel just for this lunch.

Then the next day there was a "Champagne breakfast" (champagne, orange juice and croissants). It cost 30$ more during the holidays in Rainbow to cover the charges for these meals. That was also paying for the unlimited beer (many barrels) but I paid for the others in this case!

The Old Man and the Mountain

2008-01-15T22:57:00.001+13:00

DECEMBER 21 - TAUPO

It wasn't an ordinary day, as I don't walk around volcanoes everyday. I had booked the day before to leave from Taupo to the Tongariro National Park at 5:40 am.

'The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park is one of New Zealand's most spectacular tramping tracks, designated one of the "great walks" by the Department of Conservation and might very well be the best one-day walk in New Zealand. The crossing passes over volcanic terrain along the slopes of the active volcanoes Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro, which can optionally be climbed in a side trip.'

Before I start, I must say that I corrected the colors (and sometimes cropped) most of the following pictures. This is also the first time I used my Ricoh Caplio R40.

This is the view of the mountains from Taupo, very early in the morning.

I went to a travel company called Experience Taupo to book the trek, with a shuttle bus taking me to the site called Tongariro Expeditions (40$ return). Hugo had slept in his car the night before so I was mad that we missed the bus because of him. Fortunately a guy in a van came to see me and told me we could be on the 6:20 bus instead.

At the starting point, I rented hiking boots for $15. They were very useful when I think about it, I couldn't have done the trek with normal shoes.

This is the view from the "picnic place", after the first hour or so of the trek. The most physically challenging part was now done.

This is crazy "pépé", who did the trek barefoot. All trekkers wanted to be like him.

Me enjoying my sports drink. I had 2 x 750ml bottles in my backpack and that was enough for the whole trip. If I had not enough, there were huts at a couple of places with drinking water.

Now I will let the pictures speak from themselves. They are posted here in the order that they were taken, so you can see that the climate goes from alpine terrain, to desertic, to almost subtropical, all in a few kilometers.

On the map, it said not to drink water from the Emerald Lakes. Ian McKellen: "Thou shalt not drink!" - or something like that.

I finished the 18,5km Crossing in around 6 hours and a half. I was tired at the end, mostly because my feet were sore! I left with the 15:30 bus back to Taupo. Hugo was now more than an hour behind me because he did a side trip, and he caught the last bus (4:30pm). I had perfect weather for the whole day, even though the girl who booked my trek said I would be walking in the rain! In the end it made me want to do also other long treks.

That evening in Taupo, stores were closing later and there was a pre-Christmas celebration in the streets.

This is a doctored Google Earth picture from Mt. Ngaruhoe, also know as Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Untitled post.

2008-01-06T16:10:00.000+13:00

DECEMBER 13 – ROTORUA TO WAITOMO

Today I leave Rotorua to go to Waitomo, a place I’ve wanted to see since a long time. I do the trip with Kiwi Experience. Our first stop (for those like me who didn’t want to pay for Te Puia) is the Whakarewarewa / Redwoods Forest Walk. In the Forest, some people also did their morning jogging.

After that we go to pick-up the people at Te Puia (geothermal reserve & geyser), but we stay longer and the four of us who didn’t pay got a different color bracelet. I just hid the bracelet in my pocket and so I went to see the geyser anyway, without paying. Not much to see there and it’s way too touristy, unlike the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village.

Before arriving in Waitomo, we have to go to the supermarket in another town, because Waitomo is really small (pop. 300) and there’s only a superette (convenience store).

This photo was taken in my room (YHA Kiwi Paka), where I could use my laptop as a stereo!

DECEMBER 14th – WAITOMO

Since I’m waiting for Hugo to come down from Auckland to do an abseil in the caves, and there’s not much to do in Waitomo, I decide to do another activity: ‘Rap, raft’n rock’. It’s a combination of abseil, blackwater rafting and caving. The activity itself was NZD 125 and the photo CD 20$. None of the following photos are mine. I’m glad I didn’t bring my camera because it was a very dark place and you need to have a special camera.

While going down the caves we had to have 2 locks linking our gear to a cord at every time. When we forgot, the guide warned us!

These are the famous glowworms of Waitomo! After many people explained it to me, I still don’t understand what they are. All I know is that they light up the cave and it's really amazing. Just Google it.

There was also a big eel in the cave, but it was not dangerous. I’ve heard they eat a little bit of everything in the caves, including dead glowworms falling down from the top.

DECEMBER 15 – WAITOMO

Hugo finally arrives in Waitomo after his football game in the morning in Auckland. I get a text message from him saying that he hasn’t left Auckland, three hours before the start of the activity, but finally he got here in time.

That abseil wasn’t as fun as the other one, but we had a great time. Abseiling up (going up on a rope) is really difficult and I was really tired at the end. But as it was an open cave and it was at night, at one point we couldn’t tell if it was glowworms or stars above us.

DECEMBER 16 – WAITOMO

At 12:45pm every day at The Shearing Shed, they shear Angora rabbits from the Pyrénées. They then make clothes and crafts and sell them there (for a high price usually).

It looked a bit like a torture house inside! But I’ve read somewhere that if they didn’t shear those rabbits, they would overheat and die. I can understand why – the Pyrénées is a cold place and Waitomo is not.

Really close to there was Woodlyn Park, and at 1:30 it was the “Kiwi Culture Show”. It’s a farm show that also tells the story of the pioneers of New Zealand. Barry Woods is the entertainer (and he’s a very good one).

On the board in the back there were articles about his exploits. I think he holds the record of the most lambs sheared in one day. He also did the world’s first pig abseil, in a Waitomo cave. Crazy guy!

Hugo joined me halfway into the show. We then went to see the ‘World Unique Waitomo Motels’, also in Woodlyn Park. You can sleep in an hobbit motel, an old war plane which was in Vietnam, a train from the 1950’s and the ‘Waitanic ship motel’, with prices ranging from 130 per night for the train carriage to 200 for the ship. Lonely Planet and MSNBC rated them in the top world’s most unusual motels.

DECEMBER 17 – WAITOMO TO TAUPO

With Kiwi Ex, we stopped at Taupo Bungy, one of the most well known places in New Zealand for the national sport of bungy. Originally, only one person in the bus was going to do it (James, that I also travelled with in Fiji) but then more people decided to do it. I didn’t.

There’s Jump Menu. You choose the kind of jump you want to do.

I have modified the next picture in Photoshop, to make it look scarier! In reality, it didn’t look too scary when looking down on the platform (all visitors can get on the platform).

DECEMBER 18 – TAUPO

Last night was a nightmare at Base Backpackers Taupo. This hostel opened only 3 days before we went there so it was not entirely ready. Also, there’s a bar attached to the hostel that played music until 3am. My bed was shaking because of the music! So I moved to Burkes Backpackers – another hostels ruled by the German invaders. I’m tired of it; all I hear in New Zealand hostels is German.

I saw this sign for a trip to Australia to see Celine. She never comes to New Zealand so people have to go to Australia (and pay more than 1500$) to see her. As I am typing this I’m hearing her on the radio... I think she’s very popular here.

DECEMBER 19 – TAUPO

The next morning I meet Manu, Carina & Ana, three European girls at Burkes Backpackers. They’re not sure what to do today so I recommend coming with me to the Spa Thermal Park. My travel guide said it’s a “off the beaten path” kind of place compared to the other commercial ones with massages services and everything else that a Japanese tourist might need. It’s a free spa that is all natural. The hot water streams then go into the (cold) lake. It’s therefore easy to go into the hot water, then it takes 1 minute to go into the river. Hugo had been to the Spa earlier (he took his shower there, because he had been sleeping in his car the night before) in the morning so he knew where the Spa was.

Yes, this is me making a face, because the water is so hot!

DECEMBER 20th – TAUPO

This morning I check my photos on my laptop and notice that the colors are very bad. I realise that my camera is broken. In other words, I am handicapped!

I go to the camera shops and they all tell me that they would have to send it back to Auckland, because nobody repairs cameras in Taupo. So I decide to buy a new one. I shopped around (and read the reviews on the internet) and found the Ricoh Caplio R40, a really good ultracompact wide-angle camera. I needed a working camera for the next day’s big trek!

Endless Summer

2007-12-24T11:47:00.000+13:00

DECEMBER 5 - ROTORUA TO HAMILTON

After the previous night's event I decide to go away from Rotorua for a few days. I wasn't planning on going to the west coast of North Island before that. The Kiwi Experience bus continued to the next destination this morning but I preferred to hop off to spend a few days in this region by myself. So this morning I bought a bus ticket to Hamilton (10 dollars), one of New Zealand's largest cities. Before leaving Rotorua I wandered around the city center. I saw black swans for the first time there. They look evil!

On a board it said 'Please do not feed the Black Swans. They may attack you.'

A bit further was a large park close to the mineral pools. This is the Rotorua Museum of Art and History. I have not visited the museum though.

On the bus to Hamilton I'm a bit paranoid as I see a Maori guy looking much like one of the guys who mugged me the day before (and that was back on the streets this morning). He has the same face, gestures and slang language. But in Hamilton it turns out that this guy doesn't follow me so it's not the mugger.

Instantly after arriving in Hamilton I realise that it's a very ugly city. Most houses have high fences of wood or concrete that you can't see through.

Hamilton is not a backpacker's town either. The only backpackers in the city center, The Commercial Hotel Accomodation, is one of the worst hostels of New Zealand (I haven't been to all but that's a guess). The guy at the reception, an Indian guy around 50 years old, shows up around 10-15 minutes after I ring the bell. I tell him "But I ringed you 15 minutes ago" and he responds "I know". When I go back to my room I see that there is no linen (bed sheets). He tells me I have to get the hotel room, which is 50 dollars a night, if I want linen. I then tell him that my guide (Let's Go New Zealand on a budget) says it's two dollars for linen at this hostel. So he responds "Okay two dollars then."

The room itself was 24 NZD per night for VIP Backpackers members. Yes, you heard right, this hostel is a member of a large backpacker hostels organization. I might make a complaint sometime.

The room is just like the ones you see in the movies. First, it was impossible to lock the window. There's a shaft just 2 meters below on the other side of the window so it would be pretty easy to get inside the room and... steal my laptop.

Second, there are no steps to get to the top bed. When I tried to climb up, the whole bed balanced in my direction. If I didn't have one foot on the groud the bed would have fallen over me.

Third, you have to lock the door from the inside. Half the time, the lock button releases after pushing it, so the door unlocks itself magically. What a nice extra!

The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel in Amsterdam must be a bit like this!

DECEMBER 6 - HAMILTON TO RAGLAN

This morning I pack all my stuff and take the bus to Raglan (5.50$). My guide recommends going to Raglan Backpackers so I book in person. There is no dorm bed available, so for tonight only, I get a double bed room.

I see on the board that there are surf lessons at 3pm with Raglan Surfing School on Ngarunui Beach. Raglan is the most famous surf town (or village - around 3000 residents) in New Zealand, in part because of the movie The Endless Summer, a surf movie made in the fifties or sixties showing surf waves around the world (and little Africans seeing white guys surfing for the first time in their lives on their beaches).

After about an hour of theory (and practice on the ground) we go to get our wetsuits on the beach!

There are two pro surfers looking after each learner. Most of us surfing for the first time were able to stand on the board for a couple of seconds. I did for maybe 5 seconds!

If I look so tiny on this picture, it's because this board is called a longboard, which is used for little waves (1 feet or two). This board can surf pretty much any wave.

DECEMBER 7 - RAGLAN

The next day I sent a box of extra things home that I didn't want to carry. I also took one of the free (old) bikes at Raglan Backpackers to go to Ngarunui. One of the brakes didn't work so I had to be careful on the road!

DECEMBER 8 - RAGLAN

I have a few photos from Raglan and Raglan Backpackers for you. This Backpackers is probably one of the best in New Zealand, that's why there's a 7 nights limit unfortunately.

Yoga lessons, infrared sauna, free bikes, free kayaks, hammocks, cheap surfboard and wetsuit rentals, free drop-off to beaches, clean kitchen, TV room with many DVDs. All this for only 19 dollars per night.

I scratched this Instant Kiwi loto card but didn't win :-(

DECEMBER 10 - RAGLAN

This is Alex from France. He had been at Raglan Backpackers for many weeks, maybe because he arrived before the busy summer season so they let him stay longer. He knew so many things about surf. This is him with a used longboard in great condition that he had just bought for 600 dollars.

That night I played Monopoly (the surfing edition of course) with 3 people from the UK. It was a very long game and we were a bit tired at the end!

DECEMBER 11 - RAGLAN TO ROTORUA

Today I have to leave Raglan paradise and go back to Rotorua (via Hamilton, but I didn't stay there). Back in Rotorua, I visit the Blue Baths, one of the first outdoor hot pools in New Zealand. I didn't swim there though but it looked nice and quiet - no seagulls - compared to the Polynesian Spa.

Then I went to the Kuirau Park, a very special (free to visit) thermal park in the middle of the city.

Christmas tree?

That night and the next I slept at the very nice Rotorua Central Backpackers. There was a couple of two Spanish hippies in my room, also speaking French. I think I convinced them to go to Raglan.

DECEMBER 12 - ROTORUA

I went to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Village for free today. It's "New Zealand's only living Maori village set within the geothermal wonders of Whakarewarewa. A guy (Joe from the UK) who was on the same public bus as me was given two stickers (showing who had paid) so I got a free entry. I had called the Village before to book and I was ready to pay, but I didn't refuse the full entry. They had made a table with my name on it (probably when I booked), and when I arrived I was served a hot hangi meal. It really felt like the movie "Catch Me If You Can" because I was supposed to pay NZD 55 but didn't pay anything in the end. I left the village quietly, with my sunglasses on of course.

These red sculptures are called "Tiki" and they are made by the Maoris.

The geyser in the back is called Te Puia. I went there the next day but I found it not too impressive. Also, way too many Japanese buses there!

I attended a Maori cultural show. It was great to see the Haka dances for the first time live.

The hangi meal is prepared in the ground and in the thermal water. I think the meat is made under the ground and the vegetables are cooked in the hot water. I ate the sweet corn made in the mineral pool. Very good! I think it takes 3-4 hours for the meat to cook. All they have to do it put the meat underground and it's ready in a couple of hours. Of course, this is almost only possible in Rotorua, where the ground is hot.

This is Joe, getting a permanent Maori tattoo in the Tattoo shop.

I didn't have the time to find Joe before leaving, because I left the village quickly after eating the meal to make sure the employees don't spot me!

Merry Christmas!

Santa says: You have been bad this year, no gold coins for you!

2007-12-18T14:19:00.000+13:00

DECEMBER 3rd

After a very long two hours of picking people up for the Kiwi Experience bus at different Auckland hostels, I am now leaving Auckland and going south. I had the option to go north of Auckland, to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, but I decided not to go because it seemed to much like scenery that I have seen before. Therefore I took the bus and went straight to the Coromandel peninsula.

We stopped in a small town to get some food then we headed for the Cathedral Cove Walk, a walk of 45 minutes to Cathedral Cove and the Cathedral shaped archway.

There was a natural shower with drinking water!

I left the cove before the group because I wanted to know if it was possible to walk on the archway. Well it is impossible because there were trees blocking the way and scary spiders.
This spider actually looks scarier on the photo than in reality...

That night we slept in Mercury Bay, also known as Whitianga. In Maori language, Wh- is pronounced as "f", so it sounds like "Fitianga". There were some really cool seashells on Buffalo Beach, and I sent back some of them in a package to Canada because I have too much luggage! I slept at a calm backpackers, called the "Cat's Pyjamas".

DECEMBER 4th

We left Whitianga early to go to the Karangahake Scenic Reserve. This is Spud, our driver guide. It was his first time being a bus driver so he was a bit anxious, he told us!

There were great natural tunnels, and also man-made ones because there was one gold mining there.

We then passed in a little town called Paeroa, where New Zealand's national soft drink, L & P, was once made. It's a "spring water soft drink" tasting much like 7-up and the Coca-Cola Company bought L & P a couple of years ago because they couldn't stand being #2.

This is a picture from Matamata, really close to where they filmed Hobbiton in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

There are tours that go to Hobbiton but I've heard they're rather expensive and since Hollywood brought all the sets back to the US, there's really nothing to see. Tourist trap!

This is Rotorua, also know as Rotovegas or Rottenrua.

Rotovegas because it looks very similar to Las Vegas. It's a car city because many restaurants have their main entrance in the parking. Also, there's always something so see at every corner. But, it is different from Las Vegas because it is not a casino town. It is famous for its spas and thermal baths. The thermal baths smell sulphur, much like rotten eggs; Rottenrua.

The two last pictures are from the Polynesian Spa, apparently in the top 10 of all the spas in the world. I was thinking of trying it but I visited it and saw that there were only japanese tourists, and hundreds of birds shouting because they like to stay close to the heat of the thermal pools for their eggs I think. So I decided not to go.

Or maybe I should have gone to the Polynesian Spa.

Just after visiting the Spa, I went to buy a Chicken Satay at a place called Hong Kong Takeaways. It took them over 20 minutes to prepare it and I was going to eat it at the hostel. On my way back, at around 7:30pm, two maori guys mugged me (the Rotorua police department called it an attempted robbery). This is a photo I took from the Policemobile after while they were arresting the two low-lives.

I was then transported to the Police station. First I finished my lunch in the kitchen, then I was in Sergeant Sutton's office.

As he was the Sergeant, all the other cops came in the office every 2 minutes and asked the Sergeant what to do. Sutton was very understanding but scared me because he told me the government might send me back to Canada, because of international conflicts or something like that. Stupid!

I've heard the crime rate in Rotorua is really high. A friend of my friend Damien (who I met at an hostel in Auckland, and then on a street in Rotorua) had all the belongings in his van stolen in front of the Cinema.

This below is the final statement. By the way, yes I did took cover in another Chinese Takeaways, and the two baddies even stayed in front of the door, waiting for me to come outside! But when I took out my mobile phone to call 111 (emergency number here in New Zealand), they went away but we catched them around 20 minutes later, walking on a big street, as if nothing had happened.

Page 1

Page 2

Of course, the Police didn't find the bottles that the maori guys threatened me with. With no evidence, they let them go. I don't know if they had to spend the whole night at the Police station though. Myself I left the Police station around 10:25pm.

I told what had happened to a British guy at my hostel. He said that, just like any Brit would have done, he would have started a fight instantly without thinking about outsmarting them. But he said I did the right thing anyway.

The next morning, while I was buying a takeaway muffin for the bus taking me to the West Coast, I saw the two maori guys on a bench outside. They were with two other criminal-looking friends. I looked at them in the eyes for a couple of seconds while in the Cafe, bought my muffin and when I turned back they were all gone.

Auckland

2007-12-12T16:17:00.000+13:00

NOVEMBER 18

I arrived in New Zealand in the afternoon, a bit earlier than expected because my original morning flight from Fiji was delayed until much later at night so because I was at the Nadi airport in advance, they let me catch another flight to Auckland which wasn't booked out.

My first two nights at Auckland Central Backpackers were included in the Working Holiday package. I didn't like that backpackers really much... it was way too big and too "central".

In my dorm room there was Becky, another "SWAPper" from Ontario. We checked out the main sights in the area. Of course, we went to the Skytower first. Although I never went up the tower (I didn't have the desire to anyway) but it was fun to see people do the "Skyjump", a 192m jump from the top of the tower. It's not really a bungy jump because people land at the bottom of the tower.

After that was Albert Park, with some of the largest trees I have ever seen. It reminded me a lot of the large trees in California.

The whole city reminded me a lot San Francisco -- the streets are very steep and the city is very close to the bay.

The christmas decorations in the retail shops were already up, but fortunately there was no christmas music yet. Too early for that!

NOVEMBER 19

This was the day of my orientation at IEP (International Exchange Programs). I met there two people from Quebec -- Andrea and Frank. They are in New Zealand for a year and they bought a car shortly after arriving.

NOVEMBER 20

The day before, I made a booking to be on the "Auckland free day tour" with Kiwi Experience, but the bus forgot to pick us up because we weren't on the right corner of the street. Then "Stray" (another hop-on | hop-off bus company) saw us and picked us up. They told us they would try to catch up with the Kiwi Experience bus, but as expected, they lost the Kiwi Ex bus and asked us if we wanted to do the day tour with Stray. It was hard to say no...

Mt. Eden:

This picture speaks by itself - New Zealand is far from everything!

With the tour we did a free bridge walk. We walked to the middle of the bridge then came back. In the middle, there's a small room looking like a spaceship where there's bungy jumping. One of the guys in our group did the jump. He had the option of getting his head in the water during the jump, and he did.

It was time to move to another hostel, which was recommended by the "Guide des Frogs - Ile du Nord". Uenuku Lodge - I spent 13 nights there.

That's in the backyard of that hostel that I took the pictures of my "office" that I posted earlier. This hostel is located in Ponsonby, a 15-minute walk from downtown. Ponsonby is the trendy district, with expensive restaurants and bars and crafts shops.

NOVEMBER 22

That's Santa climbing the Victoria Park Market (in Ponsonby also).

York Street Bar - located in Parnell, another trendy neighborhood not too far from downtown.

NOVEMBER 23

Laundry & internet day. The IEP has perhaps the cheapest Wi-Fi connection in the country, 200mb of data for NZD 5$. To date, the average for internet is 4 dollars for an hour.

This is is my buddy Hugo from France. I met him at Uenuku Lodge, and we were both staying at that hostel because we saw it had a good rating in the Guide des Frogs.

Another reason why Auckland looks like San Francisco... there's a sculpture ressembling Armand Vaillancourt's famous concrete water fountain. But instead of being in a park, it was in the main office of ASB, my bank in New Zealand.

NOVEMBER 24

I went hiking to Rangitoto Island with Hugo. It's about 15 minutes by ferry from Auckland downtown. Most people went to the top of the island by mini bus but we decided to walk - 1h30 to the summit. It was good that it was cloudy that day, otherwise I couldn't have done it. I didn't have good shoes to walk on rocks so it was almost like walking barefoot. I had my backpack, to carry things that I didn't use (extra clothes just in case).

There were some cool (free) lava caves not too far from the summit.

NOVEMBER 25

One month before Christmas it's the Farmers(c) Santa Parade in downtown Auckland. It was a really weird parade, with cars named "Monster Mash" and associations of people from different Asian countries. I had a great view from a nearby parking building and were only a dozen people there. My zoom was really useful!

In the afternoon I went to Mission Bay with Hugo. We walked for kilometers on the sidewalk next to the many beaches.

In the evening Hugo had the idea to take pictures of our shadows. On the second picture, I am the frog...

There was a really nice sunset close to Mission Bay and a protected maori site (we trespassed to get on the top of the hill).

NOVEMBER 27

I walked to nowhere in particular today, just walking around the town, stopping to see the services at the YHA hostel. I saw this brochure advertising the YHA/HI hostel in Mont-Tremblant.

Close to Parnell, I walked in an old cemetary for at least an hour. I only saw an old man walking there during that time. He had his head down and was talking to himself. The vegetation in the cemetary made it look like a cemetary in the jungle. I also looked like something that would be in a Tim Burton film...

NOVEMBER 28

These photos were taken close to the cemetary and the University of Auckland. There was a street which was too steep to be straight, so they made it like a zig-zag, much like Lombard Street in San Francisco.

NOVEMBER 29

In November in New Zealand, there's a new tradition called Movember where many men grow a mustache to support the prostate cancer. I talked to a girl from here and she says that about 50% of the participants will keep the mo for some time after november. The guy below is the travel agent who booked my Kiwi Experience bus pass. He told me people stopped him on the streets to offer him a coffee or a beer!

DECEMBER 1st

I went to Devenport by ferry, about 5 minutes from town. Many of the people from Devonport who work in Auckland do that commute by ferry everyday! It's not much more expensive than taking the bus which takes the bridge.

New Zealand seems to have an army! Maybe the Marines are the sheep?

This is North Head in the back there, which has the best view of the city from the top.

The best view is not from Mt. Victoria because I've been there too and it's not as nice.

While going back to my hostel, I saw a strange happening on Franklin Road in Ponsonby

On december 1st, most of the houses on Franklin Rd. decorate for christmas and it lights up that night. There were hundreds of people on the street, and the family gave free desserts and wine to the pedestrians. It's a bit like Halloween because parents walk the street with their kids. There were also big receptions in a few of the houses. It's a bit like a mix of Halloween and Christmas day but much more community-oriented. A few kids were playing music on their front yard.

The Skytower was green and red for the night.

It's Fiji time, remember?

2007-12-05T18:55:00.000+13:00

NOVEMBER 16 - FIJI

"I'm lovin it."

Mylène wakes me up around 9am, she's calling me from the reception of the hotel. Apparently my alarm clock didn't work so I rush to pack my bags to get picked up by her to go to my next destination. Since I didn't have time to eat breakfast, we stop at McDonald's, the only one in Nadi! I eat quickly since a van is supposed to pick me up to go to the the port. She's waiting with me for the van, because it's "Fiji time", and sometimes Fijians forget things. I leave Mylène (she has to go to work) and then I board the van, then a small boat which will take me to Walu Beach.

Walu Beach is a sort of Polynesian resort, with small lodges on the beach front or up on the hill. I slept in a shared lodge, which had a great view of the bay.

There were free activites, like kayaking and snorkelling.

I went kayaking with two German guys and we had our snorkelling gear (mask). There was an old boat wreck and there was beautiful reefs under it. I didn't have my camera but I did the day after (I went snorkelling in the rain the day I left Walu just to take photos)

One of our roommates opened a coconut. He had a proper knife... knocking the coco on rocks doesn't do anything.

NOVEMBER 17

It's a good thing I had my underwater camera! These reefs and fishes were only about 1 meter deep... it makes you wonder what's in deeper.

I leave Walu Beach that morning to go back to Nadi. I could have stayed a couples hours more there (the last boat was at 4pm) but quite frankly I was getting bored of the beach, although it was beautiful. I can't imagine how people can stay there for weeks!

Back in Nadi, just after stepping off the boat a taxi driver asks me if I want to go to town for FJD 20. Well the transport from the boat to the hotel was free, and then from my hotel to downtown it cost around 60 cents by public bus. Here is the the bus stop... it looks like Africa!

I walked in the Nadi markets... it feels like another world. I bought an "anana on a stick" for a few cents, which was very good.

On the streets, all backpackers (and caucasian people in general) get approached by Fijian businessmen. They are selling handicrafts and souvenirs and we have to follow them to the back of buildings. They do a kava ceremony then they take us to the store. After 10 minutes of negociating prices, I got what I wanter for about one third of the starting price.

It was not my first day in Fiji (and I had worked as a sales rep for a few weeks) so I knew how to negociate. I saw other backpackers paying the full price, because it was their first day in Fiji and they had a lot of money to spend. Of course the sellers said that the money "goes back to the real Fijian people, not the Indians", but that's not how businesses work. This is not charity and Nadi is a large town... I would have thought differently if it was in a small village though.

This is a large Indo-Fijian temple. To go inside it's really complicated because you have to be a Muslim or something like that. I couldn't really take photos but I had a good zoom! Thank you Panasonic.

Later I was approached by a group of four or five Czech people (because I was the only white "tourist" around). They had just arrived in Fiji and were looking to go to the islands. Mylène's travel office My Fiji Holiday was just a couple meters away so I took them there! An assistant was operating the office and the internet café inside but she called Mylène and was rushed to the office to take care of the Czech. They didn't want to spend much but wanted to see everything, and Mylène told me it was good that I bring her clients, but they gave her a big headache! Hahaha.

This is Leilani again! With my Coca-cola bottle, a drink I bought at Chicken Express, just in front of My Fiji Holiday. Mylène and Jim drove me back to Skylodge, were I made just my alarm clock was working, to be ready for my Air New Zealand flight!

Megapost

2007-11-29T13:26:00.001+13:00

NOVEMBER 14

This morning, I'm a little sick because I drank tap water from the sink. I thought it was good since Suva is the largest city, but the tour driver (William) told me that it was water from the jungle-like pond in the back! We leave our Suva hostel at 8am to miss the early traffic. In the whole of Suva, Fiji's largest city, there isn't one single traffic light. Our first stop is Nausori, where I buy a couple of important things, like a towel.

This is a photo from the shop where I've bought my towel!

I also bought some good cream bread, which looks like a popular dessert / snack in Fiji because it tastes good and it's cheap. Just when I was going to order, I saw some flies landing on the bread in the supermarket's bakery, but I was hungry and so I bought it. I suppose the same thing could have happened in another country! We then stop at a traditional Fijian village to meet the chief, who gave kava to all visitors. Kava is a 100% Fijian drink that is supposed to give power and cure some health problems. It doesn't taste that good but we get used to the taste.

After the welcome ceremony, the girls of the group were told how to make a bracelet.

The chief was relaxing during that time! Just outside of the main house, a woman from the village was taking care of her pigs.

We then left the village to visit a school!

This teacher was taking notes of who paid for the lunch that day.

At the end, they were singing a song right in front of us. It was really good to see both cultures meet, they were singing and laughing and we were listening and...taking photos of course!

After that was bilibili (bamboo) rafting on the Wanibula River. Our raft won 1st place, because it was the chief who was the captain of ours! He had years of experience. It must be fun to be a Fijian chief! I took these photos with the waterproof camera Ariane gave me before leaving.

In the evening we arrived at a nice Rakiraki hostel called Volivoli Beach. There was free kayaking and the diving was extra, but I didn't to that one. I did kayaking the next morning though. This was my Feejee Ex group:

All of them were from the UK, except one girl from Mexico. This is Peter ("Jesus") walking on water.

Lizards were everywhere, but it seems they are non-threatening and very scared of humans. Fiji is a very safe place concerning wild animals and fauna. The largest spiders I've seen were not that much bigger than the ones we can see in Quebec.

NOVEMBER 15

Our last day of the tour was a relaxed one. We started the day by enjoying Volivoli for the last time. Two guys of the group went diving (75$ for one tank was apparently very cheap) but four of us went kayaking.

We then stopped in Ba to eat at an Indian restaurant. I took Butter Chicken but I've found out after eating it that the meat was pink in the middle. It made me sick a bit that evening. I finished early my meal, so I wandered around a bit in the city and visiter a photography shop. The woman from the counter couldn't believe I was from Canada and that it was snowing there!

We finished the trip at the Sabeto hotpools, really close to Nadi. We started in the hot thermal water then went into the mudpools. Some Fijian working in the mountain range were throwing a ball in the pools. One of them annoyed me bacause he kept throwing hot water on my sunburn in my upper back. They were all laughing at my expense.

When I arrived in Nadi, I was dropped at Skylodge. My backpack was there! It had been delayed and the airport left it for me at Skylodge fortunately. There's a big red sticker on by backpack saying "RUSH". I took a normal room (not a shared one) because I needed some sleep! All the phones are operated by Fiji Telecom and it is therefore impossible to call in another country without buying a card (sold only in a couple of convenience stores). With a collect call, I could only talk for 30 seconds or so to people in Montreal before the line was cut. I suppose people with the Fiji Telecom cards get the priority. By the way, Lemon flavour Ritz biscuits are disgusting. No wonder they are not available anywhere else (as far as I know)!

Cheers!

Second day in Fiji

2007-11-26T14:49:00.000+13:00

NOVEMBER 13 - FIJI

The day starts really well at the Mango Bay Resort. After the continental breakast, I walk on the beach and I find a mutant coconut, in the shape of a heart!

Just before starting the many kilometres long trek in the jungle, we stop in a little shopping village to buy what we need. I am looking for sandals because mine didn't land on the same plane as me (literally). Finally there won't be any pair that fits me so it will only be at the next village that I find some, accompanied my "50 cent", a Fijian guy who directed me to a good store selling sandals for FJD 20$.

We then board a big truck who will take us to the start of the 3-hour long trek. Once we arrive, they ask us if we are fit enough to do it, otherwise we can go back to the city on the bus.

After about one kilometer from the base of the mountain...

This is the guy who wants to be known as "50 cent", our trek guide. He says he looks like a well-known American rapper.

Fiji water proved to be useful, but I didn't even finish the bottle because it was very humid so we weren't that thirsty. I had also brought anti-nausea pills, just in case. I didn't need them!

Me and Pete, a Feejee Experiencer from the UK. He had just slipped into the stairs of mud!

My favorite part of the jungle trek was walking in the "crocs infested" river. Really awesome!

Getting ready to to some tubing down the Navua River.

When we arrived at the Navua River after the long (but fun) trek, I met Mylène, a travel agent from Montreal working in Fiji!

I spoke to her in English until she told me she was a Québécoise... at first, with my accent she thought I was German! It was not the first time I was told that...

At night, we went to a backpackers in Colo-I-Suva (a suburb of Suva). They made a Fijian dance for us while we were eating. I hope I will be able to find the songs on the Internet. Good times.

Jim, Mylène's future husband (they will get married next year) played good songs on his guitar. Apparently, his job used to be playing guitar for tourists at night on well-known Fijian islands!

This is Mylène with her daughter, Leilani. She is very cute and very strong (she wouldn't let go of my finger when I teased her!) :-) That night, Mylène told me about what I should do with the rest of my time in Fiji. I was thinking of staying a little longer in Suva but after visiting Walu (I will tell that story soon), I'm glad I listened to her!

'Where are you, Philippe?'

2007-11-21T15:43:00.000+13:00

I am at the Uenuku Lodge backpackers in Ponsonby (Auckland) right now! I took these photos of my 'office' earlier today. There is a small fountain with japanese fishes in front of me and palm trees on my right.

I really hate my office !

The guy in the background of the first photo is Stephan Flick, a backpacker from Germany. I've added a link to his blog to the Links. Je ne pense pas que personne ne va pouvoir le lire à part Nathalie!

Cheers,

4:48am

2007-11-16T06:13:00.000+13:00

OK, so this is the second try after falling asleep on my bed while writing this.

I am at the Nadi Nomads Skylodge right now and it's a very nice hotel. I was going to get the dorm accommodation (with other people in the room) but I am so tired that I took a normal hotel room. Well, when I checked in tonight there were no more "normal rooms" so they upgraded me to a room with two large beds for free! I don't really care about that; I am happy because I finally get a clean bathroom (backpackers are really dirty) and also I don't have to worry about locking up my belongings all the time. Also, I have access to a dryer for the first time! I bought a token and it is drying right now. My clothes won't be clean yet but at least I will be able to put then back in my luggages. I don't know how Fijians dry their clothes, it is so humid that when I put my clothes outside on a cord at night, they were almost more wet than the day before! And it didn't even rain during the night! The humidity very tolerable though, much less than Florida, I would have expected it to be more sticky. I have had no problems with the food here, they have a mix of western, Polynesian and Indian foods. They list almost all ingredients in the menus for each meal. That's the way it should be done everywhere! The mangos (falling from trees at all times) are very good too.
To date I have had lamb sausages (very good!) with potatoes, Butter Chicken, Chicken Pizza, along with a "Lamburger"... I really hope that the food will be as good in New Zealand. J'espère que tu vas pouvoir faire ces recettes à mon retour, Lyse!

It's great that I have the laptop, they have a wireless connection here (FJD 8 per hour) and I can write e-mails or on this blog while I'm offline, they when I connect I send everything.

That means that I also have access to my photos! I have uploaded them from my camera.

About the phone: it seems that there can only be 10 calls at a time to Canada at all times for the whole Fiji islands, which makes it almost impossible to call during the daytime. But actually I think that the Canada Direct number just doesn't work very well in Fiji. Fiji Telecom probably gives priority to those who pay their calls to them, because collect calls doesn't earn them much money. I could buy a "Telecard" but I'm not sure that would work either. I will have to wait until I arrive to urbanized New Zealand! There, calls shouldn't be a problem. I hope!

Monday, NOV. 12

On the first day of the Feejee Experience tour I was rushed to their offices, after two hours waiting for my flight to take off in L.A. (something about the engines making weird noises) and then two hours after the arrival in Nadi trying to find my lost backpack and then to make a claim. The tour started at 8am but I only got to the tour operator's offices at the airport at 9h15am, so the tour company took me by car to the main tour bus. They were visiting the Nadi markets so I didn't miss anything. Rachel, a girl around my age from England, who was sitting next to me on the plane and told me she was doing the same tour, was also rushed there with me. She did not had lost luggage so they made her wait more than an hour at the airport until I arrived I think, and then we were ready to go on the tour.

All the people with lost luggages on my plane...

When we got to the main bus, Myriam, our Fijian guide, told us we had to buy a sarong. A sarong is just like a towel that you wrap around your legs. It's part of the Fijian culture. The sarong (sulu) was used for the traditional village visits, but I used it as a towel because my real towel was probably in Los Angeles at the time, along with my backpack. By the way, a couple hours ago before writing this, the bus stopped somewhere I don't remember, and Myriam came back with my backpack!

We entered on the bus, and met the others tourers - all of them would stay with us for the four days of the tour even though they had the option to extend their stay (up to one year with this bus pass) at every stop.

First stop: Natadola Beach

Two Fijians guys kept trying to be our friends to sell us a horse trek on the beach

We arrived on this beautiful beach, and the weather was perfect. After that we went for the swim, while the others were getting a tan. After that, Myriam and the bus driver (William I think) made a BBQ with lamb sausages and everything. The BBQ machine was transported in the bus, next to our luggages.

By the way, there aren't many air conditioned buses in Fiji, and we were lucky to be traveling in that!

The next stop was the coastal village of Malo-malo, were we visited our first real Fijian village.

Myriam told us many interesting facts about Fijian villages. We were all wearing our sarongs.

We visited their main house, but unfortunately the chief was out of town. This place has survived many decades even though it is made only from bamboo and wood.

The next stop was the Sigatoka Sand Dunes, were we could do "sandboarding". You get on the board lying down then go down that dune. I didn't do this activity because the dune was pretty high and I didn't have other clean clothes.

At night, we chose Mango Bay Resort (www.mangobayresortfiji.com) to sleep. By the way, we always had the choice of accomodation, but we always chose resorts with dorms not to far from a beach. The nightly entertainment was great. They served a free continental breakfast in the morning.

This is also where the frogs were free to go wherever they wanted!

I will write about november 13th and later the next time! I have more photos of Mango Bay, along with a photo of me with a heart-shaped coconut I found on the beach.

Sweet as, (j'apprend les salutations néo-zélandaises),

- Philippe

Bula!

2007-11-12T20:26:00.000+13:00

Hello! I am now in Fiji! They have very slow internet here and the time is counted...

So I arrived this morning in Fiji to find that the airport lost my backpack. I wasnt the only one - around 20 people in the plane from LA to Nadi had lost luggages. Fortunately I kept all my important things in my carry-on luggage so its OK. The next plane coming to Nadi is wednesday so hopefully, if my backpack is tracked I will get it before going to N-Z.

I have taken many photos in this first day of my tour of the Viti Levu island of Fiji. The weather was very good, around 30 degrees. I wanted to take a picture of the frogs in the shower (true story!) but when I came back they were gone.

You will have more news from me probably tomorrow when I get to Suva (the largest city). Im taking note now of the Canada Direct code.

P.S.: Bonne fete Ariane! Ben oui ici c`est le 12.

-Philippe (un peu fatigue quand meme!)